“Get away from my family’s table before I have security remove you and your son.” Ethan Blackwood’s voice sliced through one of Chicago’s most expensive restaurants so brutally that the pianist stopped playing, every head turned, and my six-year-old son tightened his tiny hand around mine. / Chapter 7 / 10

Chapter 7 - Shadows in the SunWith Vance behind bars and Victoria’s legal challenges completely obliterated, the heavy dark cloud hanging over our lives finally dissipated.

Spring in Chicago arrived with a brilliant explosion of green leaves and warm sunlight along the lakefront. Ethan, Noah, and I spent our weekends exploring parks, visiting the Shedd Aquarium, and eating ice cream by the harbor. Ethan was a natural father, throwing himself into building blanket forts, reading bedtime stories, and teaching Noah how to ride his brand-new red bicycle without training wheels.

Richard Blackwood had softened remarkably, too. The formidable billionaire patriarch now spent his Sunday afternoons teaching Noah how to play chess on an antique marble board in the penthouse study, often letting the boy win just to see his proud, gap-toothed grin.

One warm Saturday afternoon, Ethan suggested we take a drive out to the botanical gardens north of the city.

As we strolled along a sun-dappled path lined with blooming cherry blossoms, Noah ran ahead to chase a butterfly, his laughter echoing through the quiet gardens.

Ethan slowed his pace, catching my hand and pulling me gently off the main trail into a private, secluded alcove shaded by weeping willow trees.

“Ethan? What is it?” I asked, smiling up at him.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket, his movements deliberate, his dark eyes shining with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat.

“Clara,” Ethan said softly, his voice dropping into that rich, resonant tone that always sent shivers down my spine. “Seven years ago, I lost you because I was arrogant, blind, and surrounded by people who only wanted to tear us apart. I spent seven years living a half-life, wondering what happened to the only woman I ever truly loved.”

“Ethan...” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes.

He sank slowly down onto one knee right there on the grass beneath the willow branches, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket.

“I know we can't get those seven years back,” Ethan continued, his voice thick with emotion. “I know I can't undo the pain, the struggle, and the loneliness you endured raising our son all by yourself. But I want to spend every single day of the rest of my life making it up to you. I want to build a real home with you and Noah. Clara Hayes... will you marry me and let me spend forever proving how much I love you?”

The cherry blossoms drifted down around us like pink snow. In the distance, Noah was waving a stick like a magic wand, shouting, “Mommy! Daddy! Look at the flower!”